Clavia Nord Lead 2X

It couldn??t be any easier, you just need some days to figure out the interface and start tweaking your sounds from scratch.
There??s also no menu??s except for sync the LFO??s and ARP, but that kill almost all features.

NL2X doesn??t have to many features, all in all is very limited at features, the arp is cool but real poor compared to my other gear, LFO??s and also ARP are a pain to sync on every preset to your song.
The filter is very good and the oscilators can be very very clean and very dirty, a feature i really like.
If you want features, easy of use and the Nord Bit, get the NL3.

Man, NL2X sounds blow me away most of the times.
Sometimes you are out the night tweaking the machine and wow, you get a sound you aren??t looking for but you need to save it just to have there.
Also i still don??t know how a VA can sound so creamy and warm sometimes.
Tip: put the NL on a Valved preamp before recording it !
It can do Rods, Horns, trumphets, Moog leads, creamy leads, etc.
Ofcourse is not the best sounding, it??s still a VA, but any board have his soul and this is what i respect on VA??s, they don??t sound the same.
Also i don??t like the keyboard, it??s like crap, if have a good keyb get the rack version and save 200 bucks.

The only way to destruct it is if you want to. hehe
Very solid product.
But you need to have in mind, this is no china, is Sweden baybe.

Don??t like to much.

i have or had other synth??s like:

Virus Ti
Novation Supernova
Moog LP
Dave Evolver
Nord Lead 3
Korg Ms2000
Studio Electronics SE1X

You cannot compare to much this machines, all have theyr own sound, but if you??re looking for a cheap and good sounding board, with tons of sounds and want to learn synthesis the fastest way i recomend it.
If you want complex and effects stuff don??t get this.

While, as I said, there are ton of features here, it remains really easy to use. Storing patches is easy. Presets are cheesy, as with just about synth. Manual is great.

There's 20 notes of polyphony, and I haven't run out of voices yet. There aren't any built in effects, save an "echo" effect which, as the manual explains, is not an actual delay, but rather a simulation created by repeating a note you play at decreasing velocity. It's actually pretty interesting, and I'm glad they included it.

Arpeggitor is nice, a "random" pattern might have been nice.

Inclusion of basic FM is great. The ring mod on this thing is AWESOME.

Having 2 lfos is awesome, too.

To be honest, the oscillators themselves don't sound that great to me, but you can tweak so easily that you end up with astoundingly cool and original sounds really easily despite this.

I do wish there were two filters so I could have one highpass and one lowpass. I also don't like the filter, but, again, I'm coming off a ms20, which has some of the best filters around. Maybe I'll just get one of the frostwave ms20 filter boxes.

It's metal, which is really refreshing in the age of plastic toy-like keyboards.

Never dealt with them.

I would definitely buy one again if it were lost/ stolen.

This is my second synth, my first was a korg ms-20. Been playing various instruments for a dozen years, synths for 3 or 4. I demoed one of these in a Guitar Center, and after a few minutes was in love. Sold a Rickenbacker bass to get one.

This synth excels in features. There is sooo much stuff to mess around with, especially coming off a monosynth. Unison is nice.

Everything on the front panel! No menus, no all-in-one-ten-function-knobs, what you see is what you get ;) ease of use is the second biggest advantage of this synth after sound!

Compared to the latest VAs out there like the Viruses, Supernovas and the Nord Lead 3 it has less features, no modulation matrix, no fx, only 2 oscillators and one filter, but believe me you can get almost any vintage sound and modern trance-dance sound out of it!

Well this is the strongest point of that synth, it really sounds analog and stepless! Clavia put no fx on this machine but they made a monster sound wich sounds really huge by itself and not like other synths (thin sound and lot of fx on it). And i got all those psytrance sound from it i was looking for, all those squeaks that sound so organic, bleeps, synced noise leads and awesome dark pads.

It is like a panzer-tank! Steel shell, stone modwheel and solid wooden pitchstick. Indestructible! The only thing weak on the nords are the knobs.

Newer dealt with them and i think i will hawe no such need newer.

Well my first synth was a Nord Rack 1, then i sold it to buy a Virus C, and then i felt like really missing the nord sound in my tracks and i bought a clavia product again! And hey, look at any psytrance live act, everyone has a nord!;)

I am using the latest version. I was not impressed with the presets intially, but diving into this beast is extremely rewarding. The manual is very well written. My only complaint about its ease of use is the lack of a larger display. Other than that it is extremely easy to program. Slot idea for layering multitimbral sounds is really helpful when creating huge performances.

It is a 20-polyphony synth which is okey for most cases. The only case where max polyphony seems insufficient is when layering sounds with unison. I wish its unison mode wouldn't eat up polyphony which is really a nice feature of its bigger brother Nord Lead 3. It has no onboard effects section, but actually there is no need for effects, because it already sounds fantastic. If you like you may process it thru a nice external fx unit. It has a memory more than enough for most musicians. The only problem is that you have to memorize the locations of your favorite sounds, because it has such a huge sound library.It doesn't have an onboard sequencer, but personally I don't find such sequencers practical for studio use. It has a medium keyboard, not a first class one but not the worst either.

This is the discipline where the Nord Lead 2X defies comparison with any other VA. It sounds superb in one word. No other VA can even come close to this machine. Sometimes I can't believe how a digital machine can sound so organic and live. Its tone is much more aggressive and bright than a Virus or any other thing. The more you dive into it, the better sounds you get out of it. I programmed some nice sounds and can play them for hours. I have many other VAs and soft synths at the moment, I can say that its sonic quality is unmatced. I definitely give it a 10 in the sonic department.

I use it in my home studio and I never faced with a problem. I hope I will keep it forever without any problem.

This is the category where Clavia is not as succesfull as its products. I emailed the guys in the support department a few times. They even didn't send me a reply. I hope I would never need their help and can solve my problems. I recommend the Nord Lead 2 Yahoo discussion group for some help as a support platform.

I would definitely buy 2X again. I think this is the optimal product from Clavia from sonic quality, price points of view.

Simplicity itself. All of the parameters are laid out right in front of you. The manual is well thought out and that little 3 digit LED display doesn't hamper the synths ease of use.

20 voices of polyphony with a 4 octave velocity sensitive keyboard. It has no effects and honestly doesn't need any. 396 RAM slots to put your own created sounds and full MIDI implementation. IMO the keybed could be better, but it's still slightly above others at this price point.

Excellent sound quality. The synth can cover many styles of music and again, no need for effects.

Brand new. No problems yet.

Haven't had to call them yet.

If it were lost or stolen, I would definately replace it. I bought this board to be a portable companion for my MC-909 and am more than satisfied with my purchase. It's lite, portable, adheres to the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) method, and sounds great. I had also considered an MS2000B and an ION, but the MS2000 didn't have enough polyphony and I hated the ION's flat panel ergonomics. A worthy synth to consider if your looking to buy a virtual analog.

Synths: Roland V-Synth, Roland MC-909, Access Virus C, Roland Fantom-S, Viscount/Oberheim OB-12, and Clavia Nord Lead 2X.

Software version is 1.0X, If you have owned VS synths then you will have no trouble getting to know this little red devil. It's too easy to use that I've never read the manual. editing patches are sooo easy.

The diffrence between the Nord2 and Nord2x is that the 2x is shipped with 20 polyphony and more programs due to it not having the need for the memory card. It also has a better sound than the Nord2. Midi is easy to use. Receives aftertouch but can not send it via midi. No sequencer or fx but I use outboard fx/sequencer and this baby sounds awesome with them.

HOT! Don't listen to the samples from the Clavia site because they don't give this baby the justice that it deserves. This synth sounds better than alot of other VS out there and for the price it is well worth it. If you're like me then you don't use presets so make up your own like I do, it only takes a few seconds to have your own sound.

I would gig with it. For one it's very lite and small. Also it is built like a brick house.

Have not had to use them yet.

If it were lost or stolen then my insurance would replace it and I'd go out and buy another one. I compared it to the Nord3 and was very close to getting the Nord3 but from what I hear the Nord2x sounds dirty and that's what I was looking for. Also so many artist use this baby and now I do too! :-) I also own the Korg Ms2000 and compared to the Nord the Ms2000 is almost there only because of it have a few built in fx and a cheesy sequencer. The Nord sounds better to me.